Sport

Living in New Zealand, and particularly in Auckland where you are surrounded by lovely beaches on two very different coasts, you almost feel compelled to get out there on the reasonably temperate ocean. The Pacific Ocean (east coast) is pretty calm, the Tasman Sea (west coast) is pretty rough and this dictates to a degree what you might do on either coast.

A Stand-Up Paddleboard (SUP) is like a broader, more stable surf board which enables you to stand up and paddle on the ocean. You can buy solid or inflatable boards in a variety of sizes. It certainly gives your core a good bit of exercise. I get a real sense of peace when out there with nothing but the sound of the waves gently lapping on the board and a gentle breeze blowing. It is as close as any of us will get to walking on water!

This week I am volunteering as part of the World Masters Games 2017 here in Auckland. Many people will probably never have heard of this before so I thought I would do a little educating and promoting!

This is a four-yearly multi-event sporting occasion spread across 10 days with 28 sports and 25,000 competitors. In terms of numbers of entrants, this is 2.5x the size of the Olympics! And the best bit…you only need to satisfy a minimum age criteria to take part in each sport. It really is THAT inclusive. The oldest competitor is apparently 101 and is from India, she is competing in the athletics. Amazing!

Because of the age range, competitions are split into age categories and by gender also (where appropriate) so there are multiple winners for each sport potentially depending on your grouping.

So far, I have had the joy of meeting and helping people from Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, United States of America, South Africa, Brazil, Russia, New Zealand (of course) and more besides! It is even free to come along and spectate!

Here I am outside the QBE Stadium (where there are six football pitches in use) clad in my bright green outfit ready for action in and around the football competition!

The only downside to all of this positivity is that my experience has been one of feeling rather under-utilised after the first day. Once people know their way around, I have felt rather like a spare part…appreciated, yes, needed, not quite so much. Have you done something like this before? How did you find it?

I have also been to watch Athletics, Volleyball; and am going to hopefully see Hockey and Softball too!

Occasionally you come across something in any nation which is impossible to explain as an outsider.

One such example is something I have seen several times now at events in New Zealand – mainly sporting occasions.

When supporters start a Mexican wave, for some reason it seems to be socially acceptable for people to throw rubbish including plastic bottles and other items – both on to a pitch and looping onto other people. I am at a loss to explain this because the Kiwis as a rule are very polite.

There will always be a minority who of course do bizarre acts but this seems quite widespread and I have seen parents either encourage or ignore their children in doing it. Throwing rubbish is not fun, not clever and could potentially hurt someone.

So I ask you this…Why on earth would people do something this moronic?

There can be few things as prominent in terms of New Zealand national identity as the All Blacks Rugby Union team. In many ways the country puts an awful lot of eggs in one basket when it comes to ensuring success in this one sport.

Not only do they have a huge reputation though, they are also huge men and they generally seem to live up to the hype (English sports teams might take note!).

Anyway, after living in NZ for two years we thought we really should go and watch them at some point (to be honest, I tend to prefer Rugby League as a spectacle). Wales were touring here so we went along to Eden Park to enjoy the game.

The atmosphere was great with supporters applauding both teams but the iconic Haka seemed quite distant compared to watching it on TV (although the sound was certainly something).

The All Blacks won 39-21…a bit of a shame as both teams played a good flowing game and I wanted Wales to win but such is life and a good experience to be a part of.

I was thinking about how we all probably know someone who likes nothing better than to proclaim (sometimes drunkenly) each new year about how they are resolving to be different and improve themselves…instead of just accepting that maybe they are decent enough to start with, are incredibly lazy and should be quiet, enjoy expending hot air and really just want attention, or that no-one actually really cares if they are improving themselves anyway and therefore they should just get on with it in private and spare us all the detail.

Having said all of that, I just thought I would enlighten you to how I have been making a point of doing more exercise since I stopped working (and the physical nature of voluntary work has certainly helped)…namely trying to do sit ups, press ups, cycling, walking and running (with a bit of swimming in the sea when the weather warms up)…so far so good although the running is tough…but at least NZ has the climate to make me feel like going outdoors to do it. It doesn’t have to take too long but the hardest part is trying to make it a habit so that it doesn’t feel like an effort. When you get past the age of 25 things start to ache and I am well past that milestone – so mind over matter can be important too.

I asked fitness expert Nemo for tips on making running easier, one suggestion was wall sitting. When I looked this up and tried it, I discovered it was even harder than running itself. I will persevere and perhaps will append notes on performance milestones in the future…except that it is highly likely you are all thinking (in the event you read this) that I am just expending hot air!

The photo below is a (used previously) “before” shot…maybe one day there will be an “after” shot to show you, although the main aim is to feel better…not look better!

It is strange how under-stated in some ways the current Rugby World Cup seems to be here in New Zealand. The All Blacks are the holders of the trophy, having won the competition in 2011.

While the pubs may be packed early in the mornings so people can watch the coverage from England, I am not aware of huge amounts of hype – the kind that would surround football in England certainly. Indeed, the apparent lack of performance of England in their own tournament has certainly made for one or two amusing news headlines (such as “Chariots of Dire”)…I kind of think the nation just expects them to do well and the touch paper hasn’t yet been lit.

Anyway, I wanted to share a photo of a bottle of milk (strange I know) to illustrate how the world’s largest dairy company, Fonterra, who are based in NZ and own the Anchor brand, are supporting the All Blacks on their quest to retain the trophy…complete with some home-made Anzac biscuits I had just baked!

For a little national pride in my new homeland, let us hope they can deliver to the pressure.

Over the past 18 months or so I have had the privilege of seeing a number of live sporting events in New Zealand…

Vodafone Warriors Rugby League

World Cup Cricket (NZ vs Australia)

Sky City Breakers Basketball

ASB Football Premiership Grand Final

NZ International Football

Heineken Open Tennis

Aussie Rules (ANZAC day St Kilda game in Wellington in case you are confused)

OK, I haven’t seen the All Blacks (yet?) and I don’t much care for Rugby Union as a rule but what I will say is that the atmosphere at events with reasonable sized crowds is rather subdued as a rule. In the UK, at live sport, you generally get a loud volume and a degree of edginess thrown in. Not here. Crowds are almost too polite. Very unusual. You could almost hear a pin drop at the tennis at times…and the local sparrows were noticeable!

Incredibly, the best atmosphere has been the cricket (NZ won the game we saw – just – only to lose to the same opponents (the Aussies!) in the final) although the best entertainment value has to have been the basketball which as a sport I don’t care much for (to be honest, America, it is a dull sport!) but far better to be at the game where a party atmosphere is punctuated by the play!